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Renaissance Art

Grades 4 through 12

We will offer a selection of in-person and virtual field trips (using Zoom) for fall 2024.

Request for fall field trips (September 30 – December 6, 2024) will be accepted from August 1 – November 1, 2024.

Requests for winter/spring field trips (January 6 – May 30, 2025) will be accepted from December 1, 2024 – April 5, 2025.

What radical changes in art and life marked the period known as the Renaissance? During this field trip, students will consider this question by exploring artistic developments such as perspective, the naturalistic representation of the human figure, and the influence of scientific discovery and humanism.

This square portrait shows the head and shoulders of a young woman in front of a spiky bush that fills much of the background except for a landscape view that extends into the deep distance to our right. The woman's body is angled to our right but her face turns to us. She has chalk-white, smooth skin with heavily lidded, light brown eyes, and her pale pink lips are closed. Pale blush highlights her cheeks, and she looks either at us or very slightly away from our eyes. Her brown hair is parted down the middle and pulled back, but tight, lively curls frame her face. Her hair turns gold where the light shines on it. She wears a brown dress, trimmed along the square neckline with gold. The front of the bodice is tied with a blue ribbon, and the lacing holes are also edged with gold. A sheer white veil covers her chest and is pinned at the center with a small gold ball. The bush fills the space around her head with copper-brown, spiky leaves. A river winds between trees and rolling hills in the distance to our right. Trees and a town along the horizon, which comes about halfway up the painting, is pale blue under an ice-blue sky.

Leonardo da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], c. 1474/1478, oil on panel, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1967.6.1.a

Looking and Learning Skills

During four or five field trip stops in the galleries, students engage in activities—such as looking exercises, small-group work, and sketching—that foster conversations about works of art. On this field trip, students will practice the following skills:

  • Comparing and contrasting different visual representations of Renaissance ideas.
  • Reasoning with evidence from the works of art and using them as primary sources on Renaissance art and society.
  • Making and articulating careful observations.
  • Formulating questions that demonstrate curiosity and engagement.
  • Connecting new ideas discussed on the field trip to prior knowledge of Renaissance art and culture.

In-Person Field Trip Information

Group Size: Up to 90 students
Length: 75 minutes
Meeting Location: West Building Rotunda

Important Scheduling Information

Field trips must be scheduled at least four weeks in advance. Groups must contain at least 15 students.

Once your field trip has been scheduled, you will receive an email confirmation within ten business days.

Bus Transportation

Bus transportation is available for DCPS (District of Columbia Public Schools) participating in our docent-led school field trips. Teachers should follow the guidelines here to apply for bus transportation.

Examples of Works Featured on Field Trip

Additional National Gallery Resources

Related Resources